The Hollywood Reporter’s Emmy Drama Actress Roundtable

The Hollywood Reporter's Emmy Drama Actress Roundtable

Last week, The Hollywood Reporter released their kickoff Emmy roundtable–highlighting the achievements of actresses in a drama. Some of our favorite women were on the panel which consisted of Monica Potter (Parenthood), Kerry Washington (Scandal), Kate Mara (House of Cards), Connie Britton (Nashville), Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men and Top of the Lake) and Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad).

The actresses talked about television, their characters, terrible jobs and other topics. Here are some of our highlights from the roundtable. You can find the link to the full discussion below.

Kerry Washington on receiving threats after her political participation:

Washington: I come from a family where people really participate in the democratic process. I don’t think that being an actor should prevent me from continuing to do the things I do. A lot of people fought for me to have the right as a woman to be able to participate, and as a person of color, and so I don’t want my acting to get in the way of that. I do it as an American. And blowback? Absolutely. After I spoke at the Democratic National Convention — our show has a very active life on Twitter and Facebook — I couldn’t go near any of it because there were threats to my life, sexism and racism. It was shocking that me speaking at a convention incited all this anger. Thank God for block on Twitter!

Anna Gunn on insisting upon showing that pregnant women are capable:

Gunn: And he said, “Well, she’s just taking it easy.” And I said, “Well, you know, people still do things when they’re pregnant.” So we came up with something for her to do at home, which ultimately fell by the wayside, but that made it more understandable for me. It was important for me, and Vince respected that.

Elisabeth Moss on receiving advice from Jane Campion:

Moss: I did this miniseries recently, Top of the Lake, with Jane Campion, and she gave me the best piece of advice I’ve ever gotten before an audition. We were on the phone, and I was going to be putting myself on tape with the casting director and sending it to Australia. I was so nervous just talking to her. And she said, “You don’t have to hit the bull’s-eye. Just get the dart on the board.” And as an actress, I was like, “Oh my God, thank you!”

The actresses on if they could be on any show in TV history, which would it be?

Potter: Three’s Company, hands down. I could play Chrissy’s sister. Or anyone.

Britton: Mary Tyler Moore. Such a perfect show. They were all such amazing, rich characters, and she got to be so badass, funny, smart and in charge of her life. It was just a great inspiration.

Mara: Mine’s not as inspirational, but I was really obsessed with My So-Called Life. And it was only on what, like, one season? Which is my dream, because I don’t want to have any job commitment, and so that would be perfect!